An Innovative Approach to Local Government Road Network Management
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www. nams.au .com National Asset Management Strategy Australia AN INNOVATIVE APPROACH TO LOCAL GOVERNMENT ROAD NETWORK MANAGEMENT Peter Clewer: Asset Management Officer (Roads), Mornington Peninsula Shire Amy Wade, Manager Axim - A Downer EDI Works Business Abstract The Mornington Peninsula Shire in Victoria has amalgamated routine road maintenance activities and traditional annual reseal/rehabilitation capital works activities into the one long-term integrated road network management contract. The ‘Safer Local Roads’ (SLR) is a 15 year outcome based maintenance contract incorporating annual performance reviews. This is an innovative approach to Road Network Management for Local Government, the scale of which has not been previously undertaken in Australia. The activities are being provided as part of a Quality Relationship (partnership) between the Shire and Downer EDI Works, with a smooth monthly service charge. The aim of the ‘Safer Local Roads’ contract is to fully integrate all road network management services into one service provision to obtain greater value for money, improve services, obtain a greater certainty in service delivery, and implement a sustainable accelerated program of capital works deliveries. Various specific performance measures exist to enable contract performance to be assessed, and this paper details the development of methodologies, processes and calculations for measurement of one of the key indicators, being road pavement performance for sealed roads. These were jointly developed between the Shire and Axim a Downer EDI Works business specialising in infrastructure asset management. Introduction The Mornington Peninsula Shire until recently accelerated program of capital works ran a fairly traditional model of local road projects, greater certainty in service delivery network management. This was achieved by from having long term financial planning internally determining and supervising their capabilities and to integrate all road network annual reseal/rehabilitation works program management services into the one service which was undertaken by external provision and hence achieve greater cost contractors annually, and also having routine savings, a 15 year contract for total road road maintenance services provided by an network management was entered into with external service provider over a 10 year Downer EDI Works. contract term. Whilst being relatively successful in terms of reducing existing rates of deterioration of the The resultant ‘Safer Local Roads’ (SLR) sealed network condition over a period of contract is an outcome based contract relying time, the Shire decided to expand their upon several performance indicators used to outlook to seek an alternative innovative measure contract performance. This method of achieving greater efficiencies and approach has previously been undertaken for value for money for their community from road network management at State level, but their road network management services. In not at this scale at the Local Government an effort to gain funding for a sustainable level in Australia. www. nams.au .com National Asset Management Strategy Australia expectation and provision of services could One of the challenges confronted was to be proposed. determine a process to enable the Shire to monitor sealed pavement performance throughout the contract term and to develop a Routine Road Maintenance repeatable methodology of condition Performance Indicators measurement so that regular reviews of sealed network pavement performance could Contract provisions that already existed prior be undertaken to ensure desired outcomes to the SLR in the Shire’s Sustainable were being achieved. Pavement condition is Infrastructure Maintenance Services (SIMS) more easily monitored, measured and contract for routine road maintenance captured utilising high speed automated data services were developed in consultation with capture vehicles on State networks as these the community through nearly 30 workshops roads are more stable and consistent in held throughout the Shire prior to the nature than at local government level, where tendering and start of the SIMS contract in several variables and impediments exist April 2003. within the network that provide greater challenges. These service levels were reviewed at the time of the introduction into Victorian law of The relationship between the Shire and the Road Management Act in 2004. Downer EDI Works includes Axim a Downer EDI Works business specialising in (The purpose of the Road Management Act is infrastructure asset management. From the to establish a management system for the outset a close relationship formed between road management functions of a road the Shire and Axim to jointly develop and authority which is based upon policy, review the pavement performance operational objectives and available measurement processes to achieve the resources and also establishes decision desired outcomes. making processes in relation to standards of construction, inspection, maintenance and repair). Existing Network Attribute Data As a result of the Road Management Act Prior to the development of pavement requirements, the existing Shire local road performance indicators, the Shire in keeping network hierarchy was reviewed and updated with the partnership principals of the SLR, accurately reflect a functional road hierarchy provided Downer EDI Works access to all concept, and service levels (inspection historical council records of road condition frequencies, intervention levels, and data and pavement and road surface response times) were reviewed and adopted performance data during the tender period. according to each new individual hierarchy. The existing data included recently acquired ARRB surveys where a 10% sample of the These existing routine maintenance service Shire sealed local road network had been level provisions within the existing SIMS surveyed and analysed to produce indicative contract were absorbed directly into the SLR distributions of AADT figures, network age, contract. roughness, rutting, texture depth and pavement deflection. Also an indicative distribution of remaining pavement structural Objectives of Pavement Performance lives based upon FWD data and predicted Indicators future traffic loadings was undertaken and made available. Based upon this collection It was determined that the SLR contractual of recent and historical data, a very clear requirement regarding sealed network insight into existing network attributes and pavement performance was for the existing predicted future behaviour could be pavement condition as at the commencement determined to ensure that an achievable of the contract to be maintained for each pre- defined road hierarchy classification for the15 www. nams.au .com National Asset Management Strategy Australia and other impediments (speed humps, year term of the contract. In short, the roundabouts, LATM treatments etc.) visual network was to be handed back to the Shire condition assessments using an accredited at the end of the contract period in the same third party data capture organisation were condition as when the contract commenced. utilised in these instances. Visual condition defects to be assessed were clearly defined This required a benchmark assessment of in accordance with defect descriptions the network to be undertaken in order to indicated in A Guide to the Visual determine the agreed existing service level of Assessment of Pavement Condition the road pavement and to enable Downer (Austroads, 1987). EDI Works to have a better understanding of current network conditions. This also enabled Downer EDI Works to determine an Pavement Defect Assessment Surveys appropriate financial model necessary to meet contract requirements, subject to Pavement defect types to be assessed were council approval. selected by mutual agreement following detailed consultation between A methodology of calculating a sealed representatives of the Shire and Axim. pavement performance indicator based upon surveys of network pavement conditions was By utilising the flexibility of the Deighton required. This would be auditable and ‘dTIMS CT’ Pavement Management System repeatable to enable future reviews of implemented by Axim, as ‘Authorised contract performance, and appropriately Deighton Consultants’ in Australia, the rewarded the efforts of Downer EDI Works. opportunity was taken to address previous constraints experienced by the Shire by using The resultant performance indicator also an “off the shelf” Pavement Management needed to accurately reflect the existing System. By identifying these constraints and pavement condition, whilst enabling the incorporating into the PCI the attributes for possibility of raising service level measurement that better reflected local requirements in the future (subject to conditions and concerns, a more meaningful increased funding negotiations) should index was able to be achieved. council desire. Table 1 – Condition Parameters for roads able to have automated surveys undertaken. Pavement Condition Index (PCI) Survey Defects or Attributes It was determined that a Pavement Condition Type Index (PCI) was to be calculated and used as a measurement of sealed pavement Automated Roughness (NAASRA counts) performance. Automated Rutting (mean rut depth) The PCI was to be determined based upon the measurement of several existing road Automated Surface Texture (texture depth) pavement defect types, aggregated together and appropriately weighted to produce one Visual Crocodile